The Incorrupt Relics of Saint Eleutherios in Nea Ionia

Saint Eleutherios of Illyricum, the early Christian martyr and bishop, is especially venerated in the Orthodox Church not only for his apostolic life and courageous martyrdom, but also for the incorrupt relics that God has granted as a sign of His grace resting upon the Saint.

According to Orthodox ecclesiastical tradition, the holy relics of Saint Eleutherios were preserved intact after his martyrdom in Rome and became a source of blessing and miracles for the faithful. From the earliest centuries, Christians gathered at his martyrion near the Xerolophos in Constantinople, where his synaxis was celebrated, venerating his body as a tangible witness to the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.

In Orthodox theology, the incorruption of a saint’s relics is not understood as an automatic or universal mark of sanctity, but as a particular gift of God. In the case of Saint Eleutherios, whose life was marked from youth by purity, ascetic struggle, and fullness of the Spirit, the incorruption of his relics was perceived by the Church as a confirmation of the holiness already manifest in his life and miracles. As the Apostle teaches, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19), and in the saints this truth is revealed even beyond death.

Holy Hieromartyr Eleutherios in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Eleutherios was from the city of Rome, very young in age, orphaned of his father, having only his mother, named Anthia, who had been catechized in the faith of Christ by the Holy Apostle Paul. By her he was brought to Bishop Aniketos, and from him the Saint learned the Sacred Scriptures, and he was also enrolled in the order of the clergy. In the fifteenth year of his age he was ordained a deacon, in the eighteenth a presbyter, and in his twentieth year he was appointed Bishop of Illyricum, having previously performed many miracles because of his great virtue.

But since by his teaching he was turning many to the faith of Christ, Emperor Hadrian sent for him and summoned him. And when he proclaimed before him that Christ is the God of all, the emperor gave orders to place him on a bronze bed and to light a great fire beneath it. Then he was to be placed upon a grate that had been exceedingly heated, and again into a red-hot pan filled with oil, tallow, and pitch. Yet by the grace and power of Christ he was preserved unharmed from all these things.

Prologue in Sermons: December 15

To the Young Monks on How One Should Conduct Oneself in Order To Be Saved

December 15
 
(A Teaching From the Sayings of Father Moses, Which He Sent to Abba Poemen)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Young, inexperienced monks often get carried away in their judgments about salvation, giving free rein to their fervent imaginations. Some seek miracles, others interpret the words of God and the writings of the Holy Fathers as they please, and still others engage in fruitless debates about faith with hot-blooded and unreasonable people. And what comes of this? Such monks become like poisoned fish, often going mad or becoming a laughingstock to others. How can we reason with such people, and what can we say to them? We say simply: believe with simplicity of heart, do not be too clever, and you will be saved. They will ask: what should we do then? We answer: here's what.

Homily Two on the Eleventh Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Eleventh Sunday of Luke
(28th Sunday After Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses" (Luke 14:16–18).

Today, my brethren, the Gospel parable was read about a very rich and hospitable man who hosted a magnificent evening or dinner and invited many to it. However, despite the kindness and hospitality of the host and the richness of the dinner itself, those invited, as if by agreement, all began to decline for various, though rather disrespectful, reasons. One replied that he had bought land and was going to see it; another that he had bought five yoke of oxen and was going to test them; a third that he had married and therefore could not come. 

Prologue in Sermons: December 14

 

With the Lord, Everything, Including Trials and Tribulations, is Wisely Arranged and Serves for our Salvation and Blessedness.

December 14*
 
(Commemoration of our Venerable Father Nikon, Disciple of Blessed Sergius, the Abbot and New Wonderworker)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

When grief and misfortune befall us, especially severe ones, we often lose faith, murmur, complain, and say, "Why do I endure such sorrows? Why does the Lord allow them to befall me? Why is He punishing me? Where is the truth, where is the mercy?" Thus we usually cry out during times of sorrow, but we cry in vain; for with God, everything, not excluding misfortunes and sorrows, is wisely arranged, and everything serves our salvation and our blessedness. We will prove this to you, brethren, both by the word of the universal teacher and by example.